Re: tiller recommendations

**"* G* <d*@gmail.com>**

>>>On Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 7:47 AM, margaret lauterbach <
melauter@earthlink.net> wrote:

> >>>Why don't you save your money and try no-till gardening?  It would
give you something new to explore and write about as well as
preserving mycorrhizae and other beneficial soil organisms. Margaret
Lauterbach

I think the first reason is that no-till ag systems use chemicals as weed
control and I tend to be an organic gardener - certainly not interested in
no-till systems like this nor am I interested in promoting no-till.
Having said that - if you're talking about deep mulch systems, I've been
doing that for years a la Ruth Stout and indicated my use of mulch in my
request for tiller suggestions.   And I've written about different systems
of these deep mulch practices and trials over the years in both my books and
columns so my readers get pretty tired about hearing about mulch and compost
etc.

My understanding is that tilling isn't going to bother mycorrhizae too much
but it is going to really chew up established fungal strands and may, on
some soils, contribute to soil compaction issues.  I'm sure Jeff L can weigh
in here better than I after reading his book.    But as I said in my note, I
was interested in a tiller for general bed making and some general work.
 I'm equally disinterested in creating this 8 acre estate-sized garden with
a shovel as my main tool. ;-)  With the deep mulch systems I use for weed
control and water preservation the soil microorganisms are established and
preserved quite nicely in the majority of my beds.

So thank you for your suggestion about no-till but I've explored that -
rejected it because of the chemical component.

And thanks for the other suggestions about which machine has worked for you
folks.

Doug

>
> At 05:58 PM 8/23/2008, you wrote:
> >Turns out my lawn tractor is dead and I"m about to buy a new tractor.  But
> I
> >don't want to go to the expense of buying a tiller attachment for this
> one.
> >   I'm looking for good recommendations on a medium sized tiller (not a
> toy
> >for cultivating) that will be used for garden bed making and some general
> >work.  I do mulch most of my beds but every few years, I renovate them
> all.
> >  So the biggest and smallest won't cut it for what I want to accomplish.
> >Any good machines you're happy with from those who follow this kind of
> >thing?
>
> --
Doug Green
Editor-in-Chief
SGF Publishing www.simplegiftsfarm.com
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